County executive pitches $1.2 million for school safety
GOSHEN — The Orange County executive wants to give schools $1.2 million to spend as they see fit to make their campuses more secure, in light of the recent school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.
It's unusual for a county to fund schools, which get their money from local, state, and, to a lesser extent, federal tax levies. In making the announcement Thursday, county Executive Edward Diana said, "I believe (Orange County) is by far the only county in New York State that has ever put up funding for this kind of issue." He said there was "no better way, in my opinion, to spend it."
Each of the county’s 18 school districts will get about $60,000 over three years to supplement safety plans, if the legislature approves — which it seems poised to do. The legislature's chair, Michael Pillmeier, applauded Diana for the initiative and said, “I believe the full legislature will support this proposal, and I expect a 21-0 vote.”
A five-person blue-ribbon board of experts has already been selected to review written plans submitted by school districts in exchange for funding grants. The panel consists of school, mental health and law enforcement professionals (see list).
Diana said that at recent county forums, school districts have explained they have "their own unique needs in protecting their students. This initiative that we have announced today is an important way for the county to supplement local plans, with the goal of ultimately strengthening the security for the children of our county.”
One of the blue ribbon panelists is Terrence L. Olivo, Orange Ulster BOCES Chief Operating Officer, and former Superintendent of the Monroe-Woodbury School District.
“The initiative being announced today will provide significant help to school districts in striking the delicate balance between meeting the instructional and co-curricular needs of the community it serves in a welcoming and accessible way, while at the same time taking responsible steps to help insure the health and safety of everyone,” Olivo said.
Orange County Mental Health Commissioner Darcie M. Miller urges schools to consider offering Mental Health First Aid train, as recommended by the National Council for Behavioral Health.
"The training will give our communities tools to assist them in identifying signs of mental illness and a path to help our children and teenagers get the appropriate care," she said.
Orange County District Attorney Francis D. Phillips supports the initiative.
“The greatest concern parents have is that when a child goes on a bus in the morning to school that he or she come back home safely,” said Phillips. “A multifaceted approach is important as all schools are different and they will have their own approach to solving school safety matters - one size does not fit all.”
Also present for the announcement were Orange County Legislator Katie Bonelli (District 5), Chair of the Human Services Committee; Legislator Kevin W. Hines (District 12), Chair of the Public Safety and Emergency Services Committee; Dennis W. Simmons (District 13), Chair of the Education Committee; and James McGee, representing New York State Senator William J. Larkin (39-SD).
Responding forcefully to Newtown
Diana, who had taught school for 30 years, responded forcefully after the Newtown shootings. Immediately after Governor Cuomo, a Democrat, urged support for tough new gun laws in his State of the State speech, Diana, a Republican, was quick to support the initiative.
"All too frequently these days we are faced with tragic stories of gun violence," Diana wrote in a statement after the speech. "As the Governor noted, there are real and balanced ways to stop the madness without impinging on the rights of our hunters and sportsmen, many who reside here in Orange County. I look forward to hearing more on this plan so that our children and our loved ones can be safe and future senseless tragedy avoided."
In doing this, he bucked fellow Republican representatives in state government who voted no, including State Sen. William J. Larkin Jr., State Sen. John Bonacic, and Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt. Even James Skoufis, a Democrat newly elected to the Assembly, voted against the gun control law.